How To Apply For A Job With No Prior Work Experience

Work experience and prior job performance are key areas employers look at in evaluating the potential fit of job candidates. The reason for this is clear: the past is the best predictor of the future. In other words, what you have done in the past provides the best indication of what you can do in the future.

To the job applicant, being short on experience is a major hurdle to overcome. There are ways, however, to turn this potential problem into a big benefit! It simply takes embracing and communicating a broader perspective of your total package of life experiences.

Keep in mind, what is important to any employer is the relevance of your work, and how your work will deliver tangible benefits to the organization and help it achieve its goals. Therefore, it’s not just what you have done or can do that is so important; it’s the benefits you offer, and results you can deliver.

Think of the various professional and social activities you have been involved in. Think about the many ways you have demonstrated particular skills. Think of the results you have achieved in these settings.

The more you can demonstrate how these skills are: 1) in essence, identical to the ones required for the job at hand, and 2) easily transferable to the job, the more you increase your chances of satisfying the employer’s concern, and obtaining the job offer.